Garment-hanger.



J. F. WILLIAMS. GARMENT HANGER.

I APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29. 19!].

Patented July 9, 1918.

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,4 TTORNEVS J. F. WILLIAMS.

GARMENT HANGER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE29. Ian.

1 ,272, 1 64. Patented July 9, 1918.

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WITNESSES IN VEN TOR nrromvgys JOHN F. WILLIAMS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GARMENT-HANGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJuly 9, 1918.

Application filed June 29, 1917. Serial No. 177,677.

To all whom it mayponcern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Garment-Hanger, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to garment hangers of that type comprising a pair of relatively movable bifurcated gripping members which are adapted to engage within the bottoms of trousers legs to hold the trousers stretched in inverted osition, although the invention is also suita 1e for supporting skirts from the waist.

The invention has for its general objects to improve the construction of devices of this character so as to be reliable and efiicient in use, comparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and so designed that they can be easily applied to or removed from garments.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a garment hanger embodyin a novel form of slide which includes the bi urcations that engage in the trousers legs.

A further object is to provide means for adjustably mounting the slides on a supporting bar so as to adapt the hanger to trousers legs of different widths and to different size skirt waists, at least one of the slides being urged away from the other by spring means so as to insure the proper stretching and hanging of the garment, while at the same time maintaining a tight hold on the garment to support the weight thereof.

With such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of arts which will be set forth with particuarity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate certain embodiments of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a side view of a hanger with a portion broken away to illustrate the means for adjustably holding one of the garmentengaging devices or slides;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1';

Fig. 3 is a. left end view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the garment-gripping devices or slides;

Fig. 5 is a side view of a modified form of garment hanger with a portion in section- Fig. 6 is a similar view of another modlficatlon; I

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view showing means for holding the adjustable slide;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section on the line 88, Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a side view of a suit han er embodying the improved trousers or .s irt-engaging devices.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the garment hanger comprises a supporting bar or rod 1 which may be provided with a central suspension hook or equivalent means 2, and on opposite ends are garment-engaging devices A. Each device embodies a sleeve 3 with depending bifurcations or members 4 which are adapted to engage the garment to be supported. In case the garment is a pair of trousers, the bottom ends of the trousers legs are arranged flat against each other, and the corresponding members 4 of both devices A are engaged in the same trousers leg at opposite creases, and to insure atight grip the outer edges of the members 4 may be formed with suitable serrations 5. The sleeve and members 4 are made from a single strip of metal bent into the shape shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and the inner edges of the members 4 are slit so as to leave portions 6 which are bent upwardly around the sleeve 3 and continued upwardly from the latter to form a finger or grip member 7 whereby the slides or devices A can be easily moved back and forth on the supporting bar 1 for obtaining the proper adjustment or set. On the rod 2 may be arranged a helical compression spring 8 which has its outer end bearing against one of the devices A so as to urge the same in a direction away from the other device. By gripping the member 7 and applying the pressure toward the hook 2, the spring 8 is compressed and the garment engaging members 4 on the two slides or devices 3 are moved nearer to each other so that the members 4 can be easily inserted in trousers legs or in the waist portion of a skirt, and when the members are in proper 5 position the spring-pressed slide or device 3 is released so that the spring will force the same outwardly and effect the proper grip of all the members 4 on the garment. 11 Figs. 1 and 2 B designates the bottom ends of an inverted pair of trousers.

The supporting bar 1 may be provided with a plurality of transverse openings 10, into any one of which may be inserted a cotter pin for forming an abutment for the inner end of the spring 8, whereby the tension of the latter may be varied, or the cotter pin may be placed in the outermost opening to be engaged by the right-hand device A, whereby the influence of the spring is removed. In other words, the device A at the right will be held stationary by the cotter pin at one side and the stop screw 11 in the bar 1 at the other side. When one device A is stationary the other is longitudinally adjustable by any suitable means, such, for instance, as a ratchet 12 on the bar 1, and a pawl 13, which latter is carried by a leaf spring 14 on the slide 3. The pawl by engaging the ratchet 12 can hold the lefthand device A in any desired position of adjustment. By holding the pawl raised, the device A at the left can be shifted inwardly and outwardly in the adjusting of the garment, hanger to a garment. To prevent the devices A from turning, staples or equivalent devices 15 are driven into the bar 1 and form projections which extend between the gri members 4.

In the modi cation shown in Fig. 5, a

suspending hook is dispensed with and the bar 1 can be directly engaged with a hook, nail or other support. An adjustably positioned cotter pin 16 forms an abutment for the inner end of the spring 8*. One of the devices A has its sleeve portion provided with a longitudinal slot 1 through which passes a screw or equivalent means 18 to limit the movement of the device A on the rod 1. For adjustably fastening the other device A the bar has a plurality of passages 19 into any one of which is insertible a cotter pin 20 passing through an opening 21 in the sleeve of the device A. To prevent loss of the cotter pin the same may be fastened to its associated device A by. a

chain or equivalent means 22. The cotter pin may be arranged horizontally, as shown in Fig. 7, if-desired.

In the modification shown'inFig. 6 the bar 1 is'tubular and the sleeve portions 3'? of the garment-engaging devices slide within the tubular rod, which latter has a longitudinal slot 23 at its bottom for permitting the members 4 to extend downwardly out of the slot. The members 6 are bent upwardly around the outside of the tubular rod 7". A helical compression spring 24 is arranged in the tubular bar to act on one or both of the garment-gripping devices to urge the same outwardly and maintain their engagement with the garment.

A combination garment hanger is shown in Fig. 9, the same embodying a coat or waist-supporting bar 25 and a horizontal rod 26 and on this rod are the garmentengaging devices C, which slide toward and from each other like any of the other garment-engaging devices shown in the previous figures. If desired, a spring 27 is arranged on the rod 26 and lies between the devices C, so as to yicldingly permit the latter to be drawn toward each other for facilitating the engagement with or disengagement from the trousers or skirt.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying draw ings, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A arment hanger comprising a supporting ar, a suspension member attached to the bar and extending upwardly therefrom, a pair of garment-engaging devices on the bar, one of the devices being freely movable longitudinally of the bar, a member attached to the movable device and extending upwardly, whereby the suspension member and last-mentioned member can be gripped by one hand to move the movable device inwardly, and a spring carried by the supporting bar and acting on the movable device to urge the same outwardly.

2. A garment hanger comprising a supporting bar, a pair of garment-engaging devices mounted on the bar, one of the devices being movable, members extending upwardly with respect to the bar, one of the members being carried by the movable device, whereby the two members can be gripped by one hand to move the said movable device inwardly toward the other device, and spring means carried by the bar for normally holding the movable device outwardly. I

3. A garment hanger comprising a supporting bar, a plurality of garment-gripping devices each comprising a tubular portion embracing the bar and members extending upwardly and downwardly from the tubular portion, a spring on the bar acting on one of the devices to urge the same outwardly, and means for adjustably fastening the other device to the said bar.

4. In a garment hanger, a garment-gripping device comprising a tubular body portion and depending members, and additional members connected with one end of the tubular body portion and bent upwardly around the outside thereof and continuing upwardly above the body portion to form a gripping element.

JoHN F. W nnie. 

